Matterhorn East Face
A major extreme line on one of the World's most famous mountains
Extreme Ski Touring
- Distance
- 3.8 km
- Ascent
- 1.1 km
- Descent
- 1.1 km
Ski Switzerland's Biggest Mountains: The 4000er Challenge
Tick off more than a dozen of the Alps' legendary 4000ers in the coolest way possible - on your skis!
Ski Touring Moderate, Difficult, Severe, Extreme
Also in Aoste, Italy • Sondrio, Italy • Vercelli, Italy • Valais, Switzerland
Description
Of the 82 Alpine 4000 metre peaks, no less than 48 of them are in Switzerland. For such a small country that's an exceptionally dense collection of huge mountains and this guidebook will give you all the information you need to ski some of those famous peaks.
The most legendary Swiss mountain of all - the Matterhorn - has never been skied from its summit but we've included here a route description for the East face; the only feasible way of making any turns on the mountain and a much sought after prize even if it doesn't start right from the top.
Elsewhere the routes listed in this guidebook are much more amenable but the height of the mountains and the sheer size of the terrain around them means that none of the lines described are easy. Each one requires perfect weather as well as good snow conditions and they should only be attempted by skilled, fit and acclimatised skiers.
If, before tackling these routes, you want to build up some Swiss ski touring experience on slightly lower peaks, check out our guidebook to the Traverse of the Western Bernese Oberland, a classic hut to hut trip.
Routes included
Monte Rosa Haute Route: Klein Matterhorn to Rifugio Guide d'Ayas
Day 1: Zermatt/Cervinia, Breithorn, Ayas Hut using the cable car to the Klein Matterhorn to start
Difficult Ski Touring
- Distance
- 5.9 km
- Ascent
- 200 m
- Descent
- 643 m
Monte Rosa Haute Route: Castor Traverse and Pollux Summit
Day 2: Traverse of Castor, optional extra summit of Pollux, beginning at Rifugio Guide d'Ayas and ending at Rifugio Quintino Sella
Severe Ski Touring
- Distance
- 6.5 km
- Ascent
- 1.1 km
- Descent
- 909 m
Monte Rosa Haute Route: Passo del Naso of Lyskamm Traverse and Pyramid Vincent Summit
Day 3: Traverse of Passo del Naso of Lyskamm and summit of Pyramid Vincent, beginning at Rifugio Quintino Sella and ending at Capanna Gnifetti.
Severe Ski Touring
- Distance
- 7.9 km
- Ascent
- 646 m
- Descent
- 631 m
Monte Rosa Haute Route: Margherita Hut and the Grenz Glacier
Day 4: Margherita Hut and the Grenz Glacier, beginning at Gnifettti Hut and ending at Neue Monte Rosa Hut
Difficult Ski Touring
- Distance
- 12 km
- Ascent
- 1 km
- Descent
- 1.8 km
Monte Rosa Haute Route: Neue Monte Rosa Hut to Zermatt via Dufourspitze Monte Rosa
Day 5: A huge skin to a high col and optional climb up Europe's 2nd highest peak
Severe Ski Touring
- Distance
- 21 km
- Ascent
- 1.6 km
- Descent
- 2.8 km
Allalinhorn, 4027m
One of the easier 4000m peaks in the Alps
Moderate Ski Touring
- Distance
- 4.4 km
- Ascent
- 649 m
- Descent
- 579 m
Swiss 4000ers: Weissmies 4017m
A complicated and isolated glacial peak with amazing views.
Severe Ski Touring
- Distance
- 5.2 km
- Ascent
- 951 m
- Descent
- 951 m
Alphubel, 4206m via East Flank
A long but relatively steady ascent up a big remote glacial peak, with great views of the giant Weisshorn nearby.
Severe Ski Touring
- Distance
- 7.6 km
- Ascent
- 1.3 km
- Descent
- 1.3 km
Swiss 4000ers: Strahlhorn, 4190m.
A long journey to a watershed peak between the Saas and Zermatt valleys, with a nearly 3000m descent to finish!
Difficult Ski Touring
- Distance
- 22 km
- Ascent
- 1.3 km
- Descent
- 2.6 km
Bernese Oberland 4000m Peak Tour: Jungfraujoch Train
Day 1: A positioning day from the top of the Jungfraujoch train, easily down the glacier then a 500m skin over a pass at 3820m.
Moderate Ski Touring
- Distance
- 13 km
- Ascent
- 692 m
- Descent
- 1.1 km
Bernese Oberland 4000m Peak Tour: Gross Fiescherhorn and Hinter Fiescherhorn
Day 2: Two summits of 4000m that can easily be combined in a single outing.
Difficult Ski Touring
- Distance
- 13 km
- Ascent
- 1.3 km
- Descent
- 1.3 km
Bernese Oberland 4000m Peak Tour: The Finsteraarhorn
Day 3: The largest summit in the Bernese Oberland and the 15th highest major 4000m peak in the Alps.
Difficult Ski Touring
- Distance
- 5.9 km
- Ascent
- 1.3 km
- Descent
- 1.3 km
Bernese Oberland 4000m Peak Tour: Finsteraarhorn Hut to the Aletschorn
Day 4: This is a long distance journey to relocate to beneath the Aletschhorn. NOTE THE OLD BIVI HUT HERE WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED BY AVALANCHE JAN '19 SO THERE IS NO HUT ANY MORE
Moderate Ski Touring
- Distance
- 19 km
- Ascent
- 1.2 km
- Descent
- 1.2 km
Bernese Oberland 4000m Peak Tour: The Aletschhorn
Day 5: The easiest, though not easy, route to one of the remotest and most coveted 4000m peaks in the Alps. NOTE: THE MITTELALETSCHBIWAK IS NOW A RUIN. It was destroyed by an avalanche in 2019.
Severe Ski Touring
- Distance
- 19 km
- Ascent
- 1.6 km
- Descent
- 2.6 km
Bernina Haute Route. Marco e Rosa Hut to Marinelli Hut.
Optional ascent of Piz Bernina, 4048m, returning to the hut, then through a col and a descent to the Marinelli Hut.
Difficult Ski Touring
- Distance
- 11 km
- Ascent
- 812 m
- Descent
- 1.6 km
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